The present invention is related to data transfer operations and, in particular, to a system for transferring digital data from a computer to a digital data storage (recording) device, such as a minidisk recorder/player, using a computer sound card as an interface between the computer and the digital device.
With the increase of Internet usage as a source of audio information (fee-based or otherwise), data transfer operations between a personal computer (PC) and a recording device take on a more important role than ever. For example, users access the Internet via a PC or web devices available on the market and "browse the Web" by "surfing" for audio information. It may be possible for these users to transfer (download) audio information, such as songs or other musical recordings, from their favorite music Web sites on the Internet and record the downloaded audio information on recording devices (minidisk player or Video Tape Recorder (VTR), for example) for subsequent reproduction (namely, to listen to the song, etc).
While the above operations of obtaining musical recordings, etc. from the Internet may be just as costly as going to a record store and purchasing a disk or a digital audio tape by a favorite artist, the convenience of sitting at home and having the audio information at one's fingertips is unsurpassed. Hundreds or thousands of titles available for preview and purchase/recording at home without leaving one's chair has unparallel appeal to many audiophiles as well as those who simply enjoy music for relaxation and unwinding effect after a long workday. This convenience, however, has to be user-friendly and at the level which any Web user can enjoy. Namely, novice and expert users of the Internet, as well as anyone in between, has to be able to use the transfer of audio information from the Internet easily and quickly. For widespread appeal, it is important that Internet users be able to carry out this operation without any additional devices (whether internal or external hardware), complicated setups or any other complicated apparatus or techniques that can truly be relegated to the world of "computer wizards" or alike. For example, except for the intelligent device (such as the PC for example) for accessing the Internet, a sound (audio) card installed in the PC, and two cables for supplying the output information from the PC to a minidisk player/recorder, no additional devices should be present in the system for transferring and recording audio information to the minidisk player/recorder.
A need therefore exists for a system and method for realizing the above criteria.